A virtual world is an ideal framework for the visual representation of data. Sophisticated three-dimensional applications can be developed more rapidly using virtual world platforms than by using many real world alternatives. Currently, in order to build a three-dimensional graphing application which allows collaborative interaction with the graphs and without leveraging a virtual world platform, one would have to handle interaction with graphics card drivers, produce a user interface for each operating system platform desired, build a server to handle the collaborative interaction, and develop network protocols to sync the activity of multiple users and to specify the three-dimensional objects which the user interfaces are to display. Integrating Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIp), user authentication, and remote administration and management would add further years of work to the task.
The virtual world platform provides all of these components as standard features, which allows developers to focus on innovative ways of displaying data and providing navigation through it. Use of the third dimension, and of collaborative user experiences, has yet to be fully explored. One way to rapidly and reliably take advantage of these powerful dynamics is to build applications within virtual worlds.
A “virtual world” is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) space which includes modeled 3D objects, some of which are avatars (i.e., computer users representation of themselves, or alter egos) representing users navigating within the space. Avatars are controlled by users who are able to view the modeled space and objects via networked computers. Each user has his or her own point of view from which the scene is rendered for display. Virtual world platforms have evolved to integrate VoIp communications and sharing of traditional two-dimensional application screens. The application screens can project the content of webpages and other software.
The major virtual world platforms in the still-evolving marketplace have been built with years of architecture, programming, and testing work. The intense competition that the platforms are gearing up for guarantees the continued accumulation of robust features for application integration, communication integration, and collaboration, in addition to robustness and scalability.
Database technology has made rapid gains in recent years. Distributed systems, for example, GreenPlum and Aster, are able to perform complex queries against terabytes of data in real time. True On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) technology, once provided only by expensive niche systems, is now availably packaged within Microsoft SQLServer. Powerful analysis tools and a myriad of specialized business intelligence products incorporating artificial intelligence and advanced statistical algorithms are able to process vast amounts of data and produce more data in a summarized form.
Great advances in database technology have been required in order to store and query the world's increasing production of data. As companies migrate to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, integrated databases will be used to collect information on all aspects of their operations. As governments become more concerned with security, they tend to look to financial records, agency records, and other data sources as a means of detecting terrorist activity. Collecting, storing, and querying data is relatively straightforward. However, the analysis and/or interpretation of the data may not be.